I bought this tree at an auction that was held for the benefit of cancer research at a regional meeting for $90.

Before the tree was auctioned they held a raffle and I had, as I can remember, 5 winning tickets. I bought 10 for $1 each and there were a few hundred sold - I was very lucky! I won a weekend at a game lodge, a Baobab tree, garden tools, a garden saw and a bonsai pot.

And my little Celtis won the first prize in the Mame class!

Because I felt grateful I bid on the tree.

The bark has a lovely white color and is interestingly textured. There are not much examples of this tree as bonsai but I believe it will make a nice one. The biggest problem of the tree is probably the base.

Info on the species here: http://www.plantzafrica.com/planthij/heteropnatal.htm

This is the tree as I bought it in 2010:

and

and a close up of the base:

From 2010 I repotted the tree into a bigger container and by doing that I got some new growth that can be used as branches where needed. I also carved away the nebari to make it a little bit less bulgy.

This morning I cut back the branches a bit and repositioned the second lowest branch on the right. I don't want to do drastic work now but the nebari need some more carving to reduce the impact of it.

I am planning to style the branches in a naturalistic way.

The tree today before the cut back and wiring:

After:

The carved area showing the area to the front that need to be carved a little bit more:

my only suggestion would be to bring the branches into better proportion with the trunk.

Are the leaves always burnt or damaged or is it the time of year?

* Does it really need to be wired ?

Thanks for the reply.

I will let the twigs, closest to the trunk, on the branches grow freely for the next growing season to thicken up the branches.

The tree needs a lot of water to grow healthy and because we had a few scorching days this summer the tree got dry and wilted. The scorched leaves are a result of this. Because I want to thicken up the branches I am going to place the tree on the ground so the roots can escape through the holes of the pot- this will also prevent the tree from drying out again.(Will figure out a way to keep the earthworms at bay!)

One will always have to wire some branches and twigs, even if the branches are styled in the naturalistic branch structure. The main reason why I wired the branch to the right is to make place for the new lowest right hand branch coming slightly to the front.